Up close and personal

Undeterred by weather, young and old visit Hermann

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- A chilly, rainy and windy Saturday afternoon wasn't enough to deter the hundreds of visitors who came here to see the newly restored Hermann Monument.

For the first time since the 32-foot statue was taken down off its pedestal two years ago, anyone who was curious to see what Hermann the German looks like, now that he's had a $320,000 makeover, got the chance to satisfy their curiosities free of charge, since the monument is open to the public this weekend.

Restoration of the 1897 statue started after officials realized Hermann's iron innards and copper skin had deteriorated to the point where simple maintenance wouldn't fix the monument's problems. The restoration ended this fall. The statue is going back on top of its pedestal soon, depending on the weather.

In the meantime, the statue, long a symbol of New Ulm's German-American ties, has both its feet on solid ground so anyone who's willing to hike up Center Street to Hermann Heights Park can see the Teutonic hero's new sheath.

"It looks nice," said Alex Waibel, a New Ulm Parks and Recreation employee who is in charge of the monument site. "It's nice to have it done, too, finally. He's been down for a while. Everybody that comes up here asks, 'Why is he down?' and 'When's he coming back up?' It's nice to have him back up so I don't have to answer those questions anymore."

Now that the scaffolding is down and the covers are removed, the missing wing that flew away in 1998 is back on the side of Hermann's helmet. The other parts of the statue, including the arm that holds Hermann's sword and the Roman helmet and shield that contribute to Hermann's victorious pose, are no longer in danger of falling off.

"It was ready to topple," said Denis Warta, who has spearheaded local efforts to restore the monument. "You could wobble it with one finger. As it happened, it was a very timely takedown. The inside structure was completely rusted away."

In order for the public to view and appreciate what Warta said is "their monument, their statue," the monument will stay open today and next weekend before the statue is once again hoisted back onto its pedestal.

"It's an opportunity to see it close up and take pictures," said Warta. "This will never happen again, at least not in anyone's lifetime."

"This is the last time we'll have this view for 80 years," said Travis Sletta of Hanska, who brought his mother and 9-year old nephew to New Ulm just to see the statue. "They did a really good job. I'm surprised."

News of the refurbished Hermann brought an estimated 200 visitors to Hermann Heights Park on Saturday, according to Sam Arsers, a volunteer who was selling the $10 messages that will inhabit the copper box to go into the Hermann statue before it is raised.

Arsers said many of the people who visited the monument came from out of town, most notably Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Once they arrived at the monument, visitors walked slowly around the pedestal and read the inscriptions on the base or read the historical marker, before approaching the statue to have a closer look or snap a few pictures with a camera.

"For a fairly cool day, this is a pretty good turnout," Arsers said. "It's been pretty steady since I came out (at 12:30 p.m.)"

An average weekend draws about 150 people to the monument, Waibel estimated. The interest increases during Oktoberfest and Heritagefest weekends and whenever one of the Hermann Heights Park pavilions is rented, he said.

The refurbished statue sparked widespread interest among many different types of people, from senior citizens to young families to tourists.